RedRSA

Thanks, I will look him up. Not doubting his credentials, I just hadn't heard of him (as opposed to Brain Copanz, who I thought was generally regarded as the top Porsche gearbox expert in the country).

RedRSA

Hope not! For one, I would have to learn and perfect it first! Have never double clutched...

996FLT6

What's easier to master or both the same? Seems like double clutching is just shifting one more gear. U still blip when double clutching? Mike

993GT

double declutching(a rev-match, in neutral) is good for every gearbox

Terry L

Double clutching has one extra step. Go to neutral, release clutch, rev, clutch, go to new gear. So a little slower than just rev match and slot it in. The difference is that the gearbox internals are now also closer matched to the new wheel speed.

996FLT6

So no blip with double clutching? Mike

GTgears

Watch the master at work. When done well, the first depression of the clutch to release it out of gear is just barely enough and not all the way to the floor.

As for Bill Rader? He started with his own shop here in Colorado. Then he went and worked in house at PMNA. In 2003 he was crew chief for TRG, including their trip to LeMans. In 2007 he was crew chief on the LMP2 RS Spyder that was the Muscle Milk entry. Since then he has chiefed on and off for folks like Alex Job Racing while running his gearbox business.

He does all of TRG's (Aston Martins now), Alex Job's, Park Place's, Truspeed's, BR Racing's, Topp Racing's and Kelly Moss's gearboxes. And that's just a partial list of his clients. Brian is famous because he spent so many years as PMNA's sanctioned trackside builder and sealer for the Cup spec series. Bill hasn't been doing it as long as Brian, and is closer to my age (Brian is around 60), but Bill is every bit as experienced and respected. Bill's been at every ALMS and Grand Am/IMSA race for about the last half a dozen years. He'll be in Alex's pits again this year at Daytona.

GTgears

Oh, and I almost forgot to add...blipping without double clutching does in fact reduce the wear on the clutch. Double clutching reduces wear on the clutch AND the synchros.

Terry L

Sure you must blip. I said "rev" - same diff. Needs to be healthy to be effective.

997s07

So without double clutching how what's the lifetime of our 997 beauties' synchros when blipping and downshifting?

I mean aren't the synchros designed to avoid double clutching?

996FLT6

Matt may i ask who has mastered that? I need to talk to him/her? : ) ?. Sounds like another nice challenge. Mike

993GT

GTgears

Individual results may vary. Sure, the synchros will synchronize things for you. But that wears them. And they can't do it as quickly as you can with a double clutch.

Mike, his name is Leh Keen.

Spyerx

Seen that video before in awe. His up/down shifts sound smoother and faster than the sequential in the 997 cups. I am NOT that coordinated!

NAM VET

My first two cars did not have synchro first gears, a '59 Anglia, and a '63 MGB. Had to learn to double clutch to drop to first if rolling. Learned to "heel and toe", actually "side of foot" in our Superformance Cobra. How you do it depends on how much room your knees have under the steering wheel, and how much room in the foot-box for your feet.

I have "double clutched" any stick car since the early '60's. When taught the heel and toe by a former Porsche LeMans driver, he told Chris and I to not try to finess the throttle when blipping on a race track, but to "just zing it." Perhaps just luck, but I have always had great wear from my transmissions and clutches over the years.

Well, except for the year I drove without use of first gear in the "B", because I did not have the $60 to get the chipped first gear replaced. Torque let me do so for thousands of miles.

All the best...